Slack adjuster for brakes



June z5, 1946.

A A. MlcHAEL 2,402,828

SLAcx ADJUSTBR FOR BRAKES i1ed June 1, 1945- Pafenfed June 25,1946

- UNITED STATES PATENT oFFcE SLAoK ADJUSTBB oB BBAxS A1beft fHn MiohaeL Chorlotte, N. c. AppHoon juhe 1, 195, Sefial No. 597,114

'This invention relates to a bfake n1echanisn1 and mofe especiany to powef opefated bfake n1echaniSn1 Such aJs is eInployed on traiors and the like fof hauling heavy 1oads. These trailers of tI'uoks have brake ShoeS vvith an oScillatable Shaft for expanding the bfake Shoes ond an arm is taken off of thiS Shaft Which .serves as ar levef fof connection to brake operating Ineans, Which Inay be ooInpressed air of pneurnatic IneanS, for opefating the lever. These leverS afe usua11y adjuStably Secured on the bfake opefating shaft by f!1eans of the brake opefoting shaft having a Wofn^ geaf nxed thereon and a Wofn is n1ounted in the levef Whefeby by tufning the wofIn the Shaft can be rotated felative to the levef and thus take uo Slack of weaf in the linking Inecha flisIn between the operating IneanS for n1oving the ShLft for expanding the brake.

farious IneanS have been provided for holding thiS voffn in adjosted poSition but the heavy traffic and heavy shocks Whioh are in1pafted to a truck of' a tfailer cause these spfing oonlpfeSSed of other nleans to jar out of position and thuS a11oW the poSition of the lever to change felative to the Shaft and thuS the braking power iS Sefi ously offected.

It iS an objecf of this inventlon to provide in a brake systeIn having an oscillatable shaft with a vvorIn thefeon and a lever Inounted on the shaft having a gear thefein fof engaging the WofIn foI' changing the angulafity of the levef with felation to the ShaJft by providing TneanS fo1' holding the worIn in adjusted position in sLlch a Inanner that it cannot be jaffed o11t of position after it has once been set in the desifed position.

It is another object of thiS invention to pfovide Ineans for adjusting a bfake lever on a brake Shaft and holding the adjuStInent in the position to which it is adjusted So that it cannot be jarred ffom its adjusted poSition by Shocks of the foad,

Some of the objeots of the invention hoving been Stated, othef objeots wi11 aippeaf as the de Scription proceeds When taken in connootion With the aocoInpanying drowing in which= igure 1 is an elevotion of one end of aJ brake r.

shaft and Showing the lever thereon With the invention attoched;

'ignfe 2 iS an elevation looking fron1 the left hand side of gure 1;

,igufe 3 is a veftioa1 Sectiona1 vieW taken sub stantially along the line 33 in Pigure 1.

BefeTring Inore specincany to the drawing the numefa1 m indicates the oscinotable Shaft Which extends into the brake dfuIn ond has a oaIn, usuany a double-ended oam, for expanding the bfake ShoeS Within the dfum. This shaft m haS xed1y Secured thefeon al vvofIn Whee1 ll vvhioh is adapted to be engaged by a vvofn1 l2 fotatably Inounted in a hub poftion l3 Which has extending downwardly therefroIn a lever having a 1u fality of holeS l5 thefein into vvhich thefe is adapted to be tted suitable linking nechanismS which extends to the brake opefating Ineohanisn1 not Shown. T1is WofIn 2 iS Secufed in position in a conventional Inannef by Ineans of a nut lG threadably n1ounted in the housing l3 and it has an extension 9 provided vvith a nat poftion lT Whioh heretofofe haS been adapted to receive al SuitaJble leveI' of handle by Ineans of wh oh the v o1,fn !2 can be fotated to thus change the poSi tion of the 1evef fe1tive to the shaft m. It often happenS, though, thab the jafs of the foad would cause this vvofIn 2 to fotate and thus allovv too Inuch slack to ocouf in the oonneotion betveen the shaft ln and the opefating nechanisIn. The housing l 3 is equipped With a conventional greaSe fitting 20 vvhich usually is of Shofter length than that Shown in the dfaWing.

propoSe to provide 34 diSk 2 having a oentfa1 opening which is adapted to fit ovef the f1at poftion of the extension s of wofn1 lz. TjS disk 2| is refnovably Secufed in p0Sition by Ineans of a cotter key 22. ThiS disk 2| has a plufality of openingS of holeS 23 equally spaced froIn the oenter of the disk and thfough Which the gfeaSe fitting 2" is adapted t() be insefted and Sofevved into position Within the housing 3,

The Shaft f iS fotatably suppofted in a Suitable bfacket l8 Which iS afnxed to the ffameWork of the trLlck of trailer. he housing l3 iS fotot ably oonfined on the shaft ln by n1eans of a n11t 25 threadably secured on the Shaft lu.

It is thus seen that When adjustn1ent of the levef relaltive to the shaff lu is desired, the gfease fitting 2 Inay be femoved and the diSk 2l Serving aS 94 handle enables the operafof to turn the vvofIn 2 to thus adjust the posftion of the lever !4 felative to the Shaft n to the propef aInount. hen with one of the holes 23 fegiStef ing with the opefling in the housing l3, so that greaSe tting 2G oan be Screwed back into poS1 tion, the disk 2| is thus locked in poSition and WorIn l2 cannot fotate and thus the adfuStInent vvi11 feInain in xed position.

In the draWing and speoioation there has been set fofth a pfefeffed en1bodiInent of the fnven tion, and although specifc terfns afe en1ployed, they aJre 11Sed in a generio and desoriptive sense only, and not fof purposeS of liInitation, the scope of the invention being defIned in the c1aiInS 1 n a Slack adjuSting n1echanisfn fo1 aSsooia tion vvith an actuating Shaft and coInprising an aotuating arIn, a WorIn Whee1 rotatably Supported in the arn1 ond Secured to the actuating shaff, a vvorIn Inounted in the orn1 and ooopeTating vvith the worIn vvhee1, Said worIn having an extenSion whioh extendS outside of the arIn, a disk SeouTed on the extension of the vvofIn wheel on the o11t side of tho arn1 and hoving a p111fality of ho1eS disposed in a cifole vvhose centoI' is the cef1ter of the extension, said orIn having a greaSe fitting thTeadably Seoofed therein for Supplying 3 lubricant to the vvofIn whee1, said greaSe fitting extending through one of the holes in the disk to hold it in adjusted positfon.

2. In a brake Inechanisn1 for tTooks, trailers and the 1ike hajving an osoillatable shaft fof expanding the brake shoes, Said shaft having ffxed 4 thefeon Wofn1 Whee1, oJ lever hoving o chan1bef surrounding the woTIn WheeL said lever hoving rotatably n1ounted therein o WorIn shaft n1eshing with the vvorn1 Whee1 and extending to the exte Tior of the levef, Said lever also havlng ol gfease tting threadably seoured thee1n and ooInfn11ni oating With the chaInbef SufTounding the WorIn wheeL a diSk nleInber seoured on that portion of the vvorn1 shoft vVhioh extendS outside the levef, Said disk having a plurality of 1101es theTein dis posed ad aoent the peripheTy of the disk ond Spaced froIn each othef and equany spooed ffoIn the oenter of the disk So aS to register vith the greaSe ftting, Said grease tting being of o S1ze to be inserted through one of the holes ond Screwed into position to thereby hold the disk ln odjuSted position.

ALBRT ARJN MIcHL 

